Review on WD5000LPVX 500GB 2.5 Inch Mobile Hard Disk 💾 Drive - 5400 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 7.0 MM by Matthew Owens

Considering the price I expected this drive to be disappointing but it turned out to be quite good. I used it as my main internal drive for a windows laptop to replace a failed drive. I didn't do any formal testing (other reviewers did, so check it out), but my gut feeling was that it was faster than I expected. It is also very light and very quiet. I don't know how WD gets you 500GB for less than $50, but I think the simplified design (single platter platter) matters. My biggest concern is Western Digital's meager TWO YEAR warranty. Previously, base drives were guaranteed for 5 years, then reduced to 3, and now just two. We won't know if these drives last 5 years for 5 years, but the short warranty makes us wonder about durability. If you're serious about your laptop's hard drive, I'd highly recommend getting the more expensive Western Digital BLACK hard drive - yes, it's still covered by the 5-year warranty. Or even better, a Crucial or Samsung SSD. But if you're on a budget and need a fair amount of storage, this is your drive. One Star Rating. That's because the one I just bought only ran a few hours before the spindle motor stopped. It stops spinning when power is applied. I was losing about 1/2 a day and of course all the data on the disk (but luckily nothing major). These drives are *very* cheap - it just might not be possible to make consistently reliable drives at this price point. Revain's return policy is great so I'll be on the road for a while and make a trip to UPS, but it would be nice if this drive lasted a few years before failing.